Longitudinal magnetic recording systems are well known. In longitudinal magnetic recording, the recording head writes and reads data on a disk having a magnetic recording layer. When data is written, magnetization in the magnetic recording layer is aligned along the tracks of the disk in a plane that is parallel with the plane of the magnetic recording layer. Longitudinal recording in its conventional form has been projected to suffer from superparamagnetic instabilities at densities above about 40 Gbit/in2.
Perpendicular magnetic recording systems have been developed for use in computer hard disk drives. A typical perpendicular recording head includes a trailing write pole and a leading return or opposing pole magnetically coupled to the write pole. Perpendicular recording media typically include a hard magnetic recording layer and a soft magnetic underlayer which provides a flux path from the trailing write pole to the leading opposing pole of the writer. To write to the magnetic recording media, the media is moved past the recording head and magnetic flux passes from the write pole tip, through the hard magnetic recording track, into the soft underlayer, and across to the opposing pole.
Both longitudinal and perpendicular magnetic recording systems utilize thin magnetic films in the recording media. A need exists for magnetic films with improved magnetic properties which will allow higher recording densities.